I walk the line
by Rosewaterfalls
Summary: Maybe Kylo never hated her in the first place. This isn't QUITE how it happened, but it's what should've happened. (Reylo, Kylo Ren x Rey.) AU NO RELATION. [I have no prior knowledge of Star Wars I'm sorry] ATTENTION: THIS IS ALSO NOW ON AO3.
1. Chapter 1

Rey's head was throbbing. Hard. That's the first thing she noticed when she awoke. She reached up to touch her temple, but her arm wouldn't move. She tried to sit up, but she met cold metal restraints.

She groggily opened her eyes.

The room was dim and cold, with buzzing fluorescent lights and shiny metal walls. She was strapped to what could have been a sort of examiners table, but it was tilted at such an angle that it was almost vertical. She strained against her bonds, but to no avail. She couldn't break through metal with her bare hands, and she probably would've been too weak to break through any other material. Her entire body was aching, her head pulsing, and she was almost glad that she was strapped onto this thing, because had she been standing on her own, her knees would've buckled.

She allowed her head to flop back, groaning in pain as she did. She was afraid, but she tried not to be. There was nothing she could do in this situation that would do her any good, so she fixated on the panels of the ceiling above her, letting her mind go blank.

The door clicked open.

Her head snapped up and she stared at the figure stepping through the vault-like entrance. He was dressed in all black and had his mask on, making him seem less than human. She shivered, but quickly tried to conceal it, fixing her eyes on him with rage.

"Where am I?" She asked, her voice cracking. She was touching her thumb to each of her fingers on her left hand, slowly, but then faster and faster. Her jaw was clenched, and a thin layer of sweat gleamed on her forehead.

If he took notice of her apparent anxiety, he didn't show it.

His metallic voice sounded amused when he spoke. He crouched before her.

"You are my guest."

She shrunk back as far as her restraints allowed.

"Where are the others?"

She had meant her voice to sound sharp and demanding, but her question came out as a whimper, fear taking over her.

"Those murderers, traitors, and thieves you call friends?" His voice was cold and remorseless, breaking through the air. She looked like she was ready to spit fire at him. He paused, softening almost imperceptibly.

"You'll be relieved to know I have no idea."

She exhaled, keeping her eyes fixed on him as he approached.

"You still want to kill me?"

He spoke quietly, and though it was worded as a question, it wasn't, not really. She could feel the fury building within her every time he spoke.

"That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask," she said venomously, unsure of why she worded it that way. She didn't think she cared about whether he was human underneath his armor- he was evil, so it didn't matter. Still, she felt as if she was asking something of him, but what, she didn't know.

He did.

Reaching up to the side of his head, he pressed a button, and the face of the mask protruded with a hiss. He lifted it off of his head, tossing it carelessly to the floor.

 _Not mask,_ she thought. _Helmet._

His appearance startled her. He had dark hair that curled slightly, and a hook nose. His chin was pointed and his eyes were inky, almost black, matching his hair. He looked, she decided, like a raven. She realized that it did matter to her that he was human. It mattered far too much. He picked up on this, and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"The map, Rey."

She thought his voice was gentle, but she didn't dare believe herself. It wouldn't make sense- none of this would make any sense- so all she could do was the most logical thing. Her eyes narrowed, her face contorting into a scowl. _No,_ she thought. _I will not do this._

He heard her thoughts, and he looked annoyed. He had expected this to happen, she knew that. But she also knew that he would get the map, whether she let him or not. She knew he was determined in a terrifying way, a way that she had never seen before. He needed the map to prove himself, to feel stronger, to protect his own life. He needed it to ensure balance. He let on that he only needed it for _power,_ but it was so much more than that.

It was all self preservation.

She realized this with a pang of pity, and unfortunately for her, he felt it. As they locked eyes, she felt something nudge her brain. It circled her forehead, then moved to her temples and reunited at the nape of her neck. Pressure increased, along with shooting pains through her skull, and she heard whispering. There were gentle murmurs and flashes of landscape and color, and wave after wave of emotion coursed through her as new images surfaced. They fizzled out as quickly as they came, like static on a radio.

Memories.

He was attempting to break into her mind and coax them out of her, and she felt a searing pain as the one he was looking for surfaced- the map. She hissed, sweat clinging to her face, and tried to push it down. In her mind, a wave of darkness engulfed them- all the images, all the feelings and flashing lights sunk to the bottom of her. She pushed back against him, pressing whatever this strange power was against _his_ mind, and he broke away, tense now, coiled within himself, ready to strike again.

A smirk danced across his lips, and he advanced, but she did not shrink back. "I saw the island," he mused. "The one surrounded by the ocean? It's a beautiful ocean, Rey." He was next to her face now; she could feel his eyes slide over her as she cast her gaze to the ceiling, counting tiles.

 _1, 2._

"I always get what I want," he breathed. He was so close. Her breath caught in her throat, like shards of broken glass. She could hear his thoughts creeping in.

 _Don't be afraid. You're so lonely- I feel it too._ She inhaled, trying to fight him.

 _3,4._

She could feel him pushing against her again, harder this time, as if her head was caught in a vice, or maybe several. She gritted her teeth.

 _5-_

He pushed harder, and this time, she pushed back. She was forcing him out somehow, winning some sort of mental arm wrestling match that she didn't know she'd be participating in. He was strained; she felt his frustration as he tried to get back in and find the stupid map. She also felt his fear of being bested, and his anger at her for resisting. Most surprisingly, she felt his remorse. He didn't want to do this, and as she advanced further into him, she realized that it was only for her. He didn't want to do this to her, her specifically. She pressed as hard as she could.

 _678910._

She gasped as his mind flooded hers. He clamped down, trying to force her out, but not before a flash of emotion passed from him to her. "You're afraid," She gasped, drained. "You're afraid you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader."

With that, he severed their connection, snarling. With a flip of his cape, he replaced his helmet and strode out of the room, slamming the door on his way out.


	2. Chapter 2

"WHAT DO YOU _MEAN_ THE GIRL RESISTED YOU?"

General Hux's panicked voice rang through the corridor, scattering a group of stormtroopers at the opposite end. They dashed around the corner and out of sight, hoping to avoid their superior's fury. Ren shushed him harshly.

"Yes, Hux, she resisted," he said through clenched teeth. "I will attempt to retrieve the map from her tonight- in the meantime, you are not to breathe _a word_ of this to the Supreme Leader."

Hux sneered. "You think that my desire to protect your fragile ego outweighs my loyalty to The First Order, Kylo?"

Ren grabbed Hux and wrenched him against the wall, forcing his forearm under his throat. Hux snarled, clawing at Kylo's arm in an attempt to deter him, which quickly proved to be futile. Kylo leaned into his shoulder, his voice dangerously soft in Hux's ear.

"Are you questioning my loyalty, general?"

"Get _off_ me," Hux hissed.

Ren paused, then let him go, stepping back. Hux inhaled loudly, coughing and massaging his throat. He regarded Ren with a snakelike glare of hatred. Ren turned to him.

"Don't tell Snoke."

" _Fine,"_ Hux spat. "Just get the fucking map."

Ren nodded once, then turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the disheveled Hux behind.

Rey was staring at the wall now; her torture table had been rotated so she was no longer facing the door. With nothing to do but think, she had been turning her encounter with Kylo Ren over in her mind several times, but no conclusion came to her. She still had no explanation for what had happened, save for the idea that maybe she- Rey- could use the force. However, this idea was so absurd that she dropped it immediately without giving it a second thought. But after nearly four hours of coming up with possible explanations, she always seemed to come back to it. Maybe it was worth considering…

She breathed in deeply, trying to concentrate all of her energy into finding that strange push inside of her that allowed her to access Kylo's thoughts. She directed this at the stormtrooper located outside of her door, and spoke in a clear, cool voice.

"You will remove my restraints and leave this cell with the door open."

He walked over to her, training his gun on her.

"I will tighten your restraints and silence that insolent mouth forever," he said menacingly.

She breathed deeply, closing her eyes and trying to silence the stream of curse words running through her mind. She stared him down and tried again.

"You- you will remove my restraints and leave this cell with the door open."

He slowly lowered his weapon. His body seemed to relax.

 _Oh?_

His voice was calm and monotone when he spoke again.

"I will remove your restraints-" he removed her restraints- "and leave this cell with the door open." He turned, walking away from her.

"And you will drop your weapon!" Rey added hastily.

"And I will drop my weapon," he complied, releasing it from his grip. He exited the cell, walking out of sight.

Rey lept off of the table and raced to the door, picking up the guard's gun. She looked around wildly, but no one was in sight. Stepping over the threshold, she ran down the hall, murmuring to herself, " _I can't believe that worked."_

After considering it for several hours in the command room, Hux decided to go check up on the girl. She had bested Kylo Ren, and as much as he hated to admit it, Ren was a powerful opponent. How the she had done it was beyond him, and he wanted to know what they were up against. He talked to himself as he walked towards her cell, which was quite a ways from the command room.

" _Maybe she used that powerful brain of hers to unlock some of Kylo Ren's secrets,"_ he murmured to himself, smiling.

" _She must have humiliated him to have him walk out on her like that. But how did she do it?"_ He sighed, considering. " _She would've had to force her way into his head."_

Hux stopped walking.

 _Force._

He talked to himself loudly now, with more urgency, picking up his pace.

"She can use the force. She can use the force. She can influence people. She can influence- she can influence the guard." His eyes widened and he broke into a run. "She can _ESCAPE."_ Hux's eyes landed on the open door of a cell down the hall. He raced to it, skidding to a halt in front of the empty room. He inhaled sharply.

" _ **GUARDS!"**_


	3. Chapter 3

Rey ducked behind a pillar and pressed herself against the wall when she heard the alarms go off. The hall flashed with red lights, and she heard the thundering of feet as she heard people screaming orders- "MOVE! MOVE! FIND HER!" She gritted her teeth, her eyes rolling up to stare at the spinning alarms. The screeching combined with the running and the yelling made her unable to hear her own thoughts. The universe was going to fast, she thought, and she clutched her gun until her knuckles went white, leaning against the stone pillar. A group of stormtroopers shot by. She inhaled sharply, sinking to the floor.

 _Fuck._

She heard more footsteps, and she shakily lifted her gun, ready to shoot them. Or herself. Whatever.

As they came into view, she had to jam her fist in her mouth to stifle her gasp. It was General Hux, accompanied by two stormtroopers. She scooted herself behind the pillar and held her breath, pressing the barrel of the gun under her chin.

Hux's voice cut through the chaos like a knife through butter.

"Put all aircrafts on lockdown. She must not leave the ship."

"Yes, sir."

Rey heard the footsteps of the stormtrooper as he walked away. Her finger ghosted over the trigger.

"You." Hux's voice was sharp. Her heart skipped- she thought she'd been spotted.

He continued. "Join the ranks. Report to Kylo Ren, tell him I'll catch up with him."

Rey exhaled. The stormtrooper jogged away. She listened for the sound of Hux's exit, but it never came. Instead, his footsteps got increasingly closer to her until she heard his back thud softly against the pillar that _she was hiding behind._ She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible. She heard him dial something, and realized he was contacting Kylo. There was a pause as he answered.

" _Nothing?"_ Hux sounded genuinely surprised.

Heavy sigh.

"Meet me in the command room. We'll discuss a plan of action from there."

He hung up and walked quickly down the hall to the left. Rey stood silently, waiting until he was out of her view, and walked quickly in the other direction, darting behind pillars every time she heard footsteps, waiting for guards to pass. Still, she kept moving forward, turning corners and ducking into rooms, her destination undetermined. Becoming more confident, her creep turned into a jog, and her jog turned into a sprint. She kept it up for a good five minutes without being caught, but then-

"OOF."

She bumped _crashed_ into him, her head clocking into his chin, knocking the wind out of her. Dazed, she looked up, her eyes meeting where his eyes should have been, through his helmet. His head was cocked to the side, and she swore that the bastard was grinning.

Kylo Ren.

"And just where do you think you're going?" He asked dangerously. Rey opened her mouth, but no words came out. He grabbed her elbow and lead her down the hallway towards the command room. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he spoke into a device on his wrist.

"I got her."


End file.
